Although attached to the Central Command at the time, the 162nd Division participated in battles against Hezbollah, from July to August 2006, in the western sector of southern Lebanon and north of Bint Jbail. The division reached the strategic Litani River, that separates Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon from central Lebanon, the division participated in additional skirmishes with Hezbollah as late as September 27.

1.
Israel Defense Forces
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The Israel Defense Forces, commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal, are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the forces, air force, and navy. It is the military wing of the Israeli security forces. The IDF is headed by its Chief of General Staff, the Ramatkal, subordinate to the Defense Minister of Israel, Lieutenant general Gadi Eizenkot has served as Chief of Staff since 2015. The number of wars and border conflicts in which the IDF has been involved in its history makes it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in the world. The Israel Defense Forces differs from most armed forces in the world in many ways, differences include the mandatory conscription of women and its structure, which emphasizes close relations between the army, navy, and air force. Since its founding, the IDF has been designed to match Israels unique security situation. The IDF is one of Israeli societys most prominent institutions, influencing the economy, culture. In 1965, the Israel Defense Forces was awarded the Israel Prize for its contribution to education, the Uzi submachine gun was invented in Israel and used by the IDF until December 2003, ending a service that began in 1954. The Israeli cabinet ratified the name Israel Defense Forces, Tzva HaHagana LeYisrael, literally army for the defense of Israel, the other main contender was Tzva Yisrael. The name was chosen because it conveyed the idea that the role was defense, and because it incorporated the name Haganah. Among the primary opponents of the name were Minister Haim-Moshe Shapira, the IDF traces its roots to Jewish paramilitary organizations in the New Yishuv, starting with the Second Aliyah. The first such organization was Bar-Giora, founded in September 1907 and it was converted to Hashomer in April 1909, which operated until the British Mandate of Palestine came into being in 1920. Hashomer was an elitist organization with narrow scope, and was created to protect against criminal gangs seeking to steal property. During World War I, the forerunners of the Haganah/IDF were the Zion Mule Corps, after the Arab riots against Jews in April 1920, the Yishuvs leadership saw the need to create a nationwide underground defense organization, and the Haganah was founded in June of the same year. The Haganah became a defense force after the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine with an organized structure. During World War II the successor to the Jewish Legion of World War I was the Jewish Brigade, the IDF was founded following the establishment of the State of Israel, after Defense Minister and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion issued an order on 26 May 1948. The order called for the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces, although Ben-Gurion had no legal authority to issue such an order, the order was made legal by the cabinet on 31 May

2.
Armored Corps (Israel)
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The Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces that, since 1998, has been subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters. The Armored Corps is the principal maneuvering corps, and primarily bases its strength on Main Battle Tanks, the Armored Corps is the decisive corps in GOC Army Headquarters, and bases its power on a combination of mobility, armor, and firepower. During wars, its role on the one hand, to lead the first line of the attacking forces. Secondarily, it blocks the armor forces of the enemy and seeks to destroy its tanks, during peacetime, it reinforces the Infantry Corps while it performs security tasks, with the tanks serving as mobile bunkers. The active units of the Armored Corps consist of the following brigades, 36th Armor Division Also known as the Gaash Formation, is the largest armored division in the IDF, it also includes attached Engineering Corps soldiers. It is stationed on the Golan Heights under Northern Command and it is currently commanded by Brigadier-General Tamir Haiman. It includes the 7th and 188th Armor Brigades, 7th Armor Brigade Also known as the Saar Formation, this is a regular armored brigade subordinated to Northern Command. It was the first IDF armored brigade and has participated in all of Israels wars, the brigade’s fighting during the Suez War resulted in a breakthrough in how the army approached the character of armored warfare. As of 2014, the brigade is transitioning from Merkava 2 tanks to Merkava 4 tanks, 188th Armor Brigade Also known as the Barak Formation, it is a regular armored brigade subordinated to Northern Command. Beginning with the Six Day War, the participated in all of Israel’s wars. During the Yom Kippur War, the brigade was the first line of defense in the first days of the war in the Southern Golan and it was the last armored brigade to use the Centurion tank, converting to Merkava 3 tanks in 1992. 162nd Armor Division Also known as the Utzvat HaPlada Formation, this is an armored division subordinated to Central Command and it includes the 401st Armor Brigade. 401st Armor Brigade Also known as the Ikvot HaBarzel Formation, this is an armored brigade created in 1968 in order to control the Suez Canal line, during the Yom Kippur War, it faced the first line of attack in the canal and suffered heavy losses. During the 1982 Lebanon War, it fought in the Southern force - one of its battalions participated in the Sultan Yaakov battle, during 2004–05, the brigades Magach tanks were replaced by Merkava 4 tanks. 366th Armor Division Also known as the Amud ha-Esh Formation, this is an armored division subordinated to Southern Command and it includes the 460th Armored Brigade. 460th Armor Brigade Also known as the Bnei Or Formation, this is the brigade of the Armored Corps. 10th Armored Brigade Also known as Harel Brigade, the brigade was established as a division of the Palmach on 16 April 1948, immediately after Operation Nachshon. Yitzhak Rabin was appointed as its first commander, during the Suez Crisis in 1956, the brigade fought as an infantry brigade commanded by Shmuel Gudar

3.
Division (military)
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A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. Infantry divisions during the World Wars ranged between 10,000 and 30,000 in nominal strength, in most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. In the West, the first general to think of organising an army into smaller units was Maurice de Saxe, Marshal General of France. He died at the age of 54, without having implemented his idea, victor-François de Broglie put the ideas into practice. He conducted successful practical experiments of the system in the Seven Years War. The first war in which the system was used systematically was the French Revolutionary War. It made the more flexible and easy to manoeuvre. Under Napoleon, the divisions were grouped together into corps, because of their increasing size, napoleons military success spread the divisional and corps system all over Europe, by the end of the Napoleonic Wars, all armies in Europe had adopted it. In modern times, most military forces have standardized their divisional structures, the peak use of the division as the primary combat unit occurred during World War II, when the belligerents deployed over a thousand divisions. With technological advances since then, the power of each division has increased. Divisions are often formed to organize units of a particular type together with support units to allow independent operations. In more recent times, divisions have mainly been organized as combined arms units with subordinate units representing various combat arms, in this case, the division often retains the name of a more specialized division, and may still be tasked with a primary role suited to that specialization. For the most part, large cavalry units did not remain after World War II, in general, two new types of cavalry were developed, air cavalry or airmobile, relying on helicopter mobility, and armored cavalry, based on an autonomous armored formation. The former was pioneered by the 11th Air Assault Division, formed on 1 February 1963 at Fort Benning, on 29 June 1965 the division was renamed as the 1st Cavalry Division, before its departure for the Vietnam War. After the end of the Vietnam War, the 1st Cavalry Division was reorganised and re-equipped with tanks, the development of the tank during World War I prompted some nations to experiment with forming them into division-size units. Many did this the way as they did cavalry divisions, by merely replacing cavalry with AFVs. This proved unwieldy in combat, as the units had many tanks, instead, a more balanced approach was taken by adjusting the number of tank, infantry, artillery, and support units. A panzer division was a division of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS of Germany during World War II

4.
Military organization
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Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer military capability required by the national defense policy. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in an armed forces. Armed forces that are not a part of military or paramilitary organizations, such as insurgent forces, often mimic military organizations, the use of formalized ranks in a hierarchical structure came into widespread use with the Roman Army. These in turn manage Armed Services that themselves command combat, combat support and combat support formations. Within each departmental agency will be found administrative branches responsible for further agency business specialization work, in most countries the armed forces are divided into three or four Armed services, army, navy, and air force. Many countries have a variation on the model of three or four basic Armed Services. Some nations also organize their marines, special forces or strategic missile forces as independent armed services, a nations coast guard may also be an independent military branch of its military, although in many nations the coast guard is a law enforcement or civil agency. A number of countries have no navy, for geographical reasons, most smaller countries have a single organization that encompasses all armed forces employed by the country in question. Third-world armies tend to consist primarily of infantry, while first-world armies tend to have larger units manning expensive equipment and it is worthwhile to make mention of the term joint. In western militaries, a joint force is defined as a unit or formation comprising representation of power from two or more branches of the military. It is common, at least in the European and North American militaries, to refer to the blocks of a military as commands, formations. In a military context, a command is a collection of units and it is not uncommon for a nations services to each consist of their own command, but this does not preclude the existence of commands which are not service-based. A formation is defined by the US Department of Defense as two or more aircraft, ships, or units proceeding together under a commander. The formations only differ in their ability to achieve different scales of application of force to achieve different strategic, operational and tactical goals and it is a composite military organization that includes a mixture of integrated and operationally attached sub-units, and is usually combat-capable. Example of formations include, divisions, brigades, battalions, wings, formation may also refer to tactical formation, the physical arrangement or disposition of troops and weapons. Examples of formation in such usage include, pakfront, panzerkeil, testudo formation, any unit subordinate to another unit is considered its sub-unit or minor unit. It is not uncommon for unit and formation to be used synonymously in the United States, in Commonwealth practice, formation is not used for smaller organizations like battalions which are instead called units, and their constituent platoons or companies are referred to as sub-units. In the Commonwealth, formations are divisions, brigades, etc, different armed forces, and even different branches of service of the armed forces, may use the same name to denote different types of organizations

5.
Hebrew language
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Hebrew is a language native to Israel, spoken by over 9 million people worldwide, of whom over 5 million are in Israel. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors, the earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date from the 10th century BCE. Hebrew belongs to the West Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family, Hebrew is the only living Canaanite language left, and the only truly successful example of a revived dead language. Hebrew had ceased to be a spoken language somewhere between 200 and 400 CE, declining since the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Aramaic and to a lesser extent Greek were already in use as international languages, especially among elites and it survived into the medieval period as the language of Jewish liturgy, rabbinic literature, intra-Jewish commerce, and poetry. Then, in the 19th century, it was revived as a spoken and literary language, and, according to Ethnologue, had become, as of 1998, the language of 5 million people worldwide. After Israel, the United States has the second largest Hebrew-speaking population, with 220,000 fluent speakers, Modern Hebrew is one of the two official languages of the State of Israel, while premodern Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world today. Ancient Hebrew is also the tongue of the Samaritans, while modern Hebrew or Arabic is their vernacular. For this reason, Hebrew has been referred to by Jews as Leshon Hakodesh, the modern word Hebrew is derived from the word Ivri, one of several names for the Israelite people. It is traditionally understood to be a based on the name of Abrahams ancestor, Eber. This name is based upon the root ʕ-b-r meaning to cross over. Interpretations of the term ʕibrim link it to this verb, cross over, in the Bible, the Hebrew language is called Yәhudit because Judah was the surviving kingdom at the time of the quotation. In Isaiah 19,18 it is called the Language of Canaan, Hebrew belongs to the Canaanite group of languages. In turn, the Canaanite languages are a branch of the Northwest Semitic family of languages, according to Avraham ben-Yosef, Hebrew flourished as a spoken language in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during about 1200 to 586 BCE. Scholars debate the degree to which Hebrew was a vernacular in ancient times following the Babylonian exile. In July 2008 Israeli archaeologist Yossi Garfinkel discovered a ceramic shard at Khirbet Qeiyafa which he claimed may be the earliest Hebrew writing yet discovered, dating around 3000 years ago. The Gezer calendar also dates back to the 10th century BCE at the beginning of the Monarchic Period, classified as Archaic Biblical Hebrew, the calendar presents a list of seasons and related agricultural activities. The Gezer calendar is written in an old Semitic script, akin to the Phoenician one that through the Greeks, the Gezer calendar is written without any vowels, and it does not use consonants to imply vowels even in the places where later Hebrew spelling requires it

6.
Southern Command (Israel)
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The Israeli Southern Command, often abbreviated to Padam, is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the Negev, the Arava, and Eilat and it is currently headed by Aluf Eyal Zamir. For many years the Southern Command was tasked with defending the Negev, the Southern Command led IDF troops in five wars against Egypt, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Suez War, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, and the Yom Kippur War. This high operational activity and its demanding toll resulted in the Southern Commands Alufs being replaced fairly rapidly. The most famous took place in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, when Shmuel Gonen was suspended as the SCA due to repeated disputes with Ariel Sharon. The government appointed Chaim Bar-Lev, who was the former Chief of Staff, after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, the southern front remained quiet and most of the activity centred on guarding the borders from smugglers and fluid security over the Gaza Strip. During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, the Command was placed in charge-of counter-terrorist efforts, the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world, was known as a stronghold for extremist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who engaged in Palestinian political violence. The local production and proliferation of light weapons by these groups

7.
Yom Kippur War
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The fighting mostly took place in the Sinai and the Golan Heights, territories that had been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat wanted also to reopen the Suez Canal, neither specifically planned to destroy Israel, although the Israeli leaders could not be sure of that. Egyptian and Syrian forces crossed ceasefire lines to enter the Sinai Peninsula, both the United States and the Soviet Union initiated massive resupply efforts to their respective allies during the war, and this led to a near-confrontation between the two nuclear superpowers. The war began with a massive and successful Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal, after crossing the cease-fire lines, Egyptian forces advanced virtually unopposed into the Sinai Peninsula. After three days, Israel had mobilized most of its forces and halted the Egyptian offensive, resulting in a military stalemate, the Syrians coordinated their attack on the Golan Heights to coincide with the Egyptian offensive and initially made threatening gains into Israeli-held territory. Within three days, however, Israeli forces had pushed the Syrians back to the ceasefire lines. The Israel Defense Forces then launched a four-day counter-offensive deep into Syria, within a week, Israeli artillery began to shell the outskirts of Damascus. He therefore ordered the Egyptians to go back on the offensive, on October 22 a United Nations–brokered ceasefire quickly unraveled, with each side blaming the other for the breach. By October 24, the Israelis had improved their positions considerably and completed their encirclement of Egypts Third Army and this development led to tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, a ceasefire was imposed cooperatively on October 25 to end the war. These changes paved the way for the subsequent peace process, the 1978 Camp David Accords that followed led to the return of the Sinai to Egypt and normalized relations—the first peaceful recognition of Israel by an Arab country. Egypt continued its drift away from the Soviet Union and left the Soviet sphere of influence entirely, the war was part of the Arab–Israeli conflict, an ongoing dispute that included many battles and wars since 1948, when the state of Israel was formed. During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel had captured Egypts Sinai Peninsula, roughly half of Syrias Golan Heights, and the territories of the West Bank which had been held by Jordan since 1948. On June 19,1967, shortly after the Six-Day War, the Israeli government voted to return the Sinai to Egypt, the Arab position, as it emerged in September 1967 at the Khartoum Arab Summit, was to reject any peaceful settlement with the state of Israel. Prior to that, King Hussein of Jordan had stated that he could not rule out a possibility of a real, permanent peace between Israel and the Arab states. Armed hostilities continued on a limited scale after the Six-Day War and escalated into the War of Attrition, a ceasefire was signed in August 1970. President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt died in September 1970 and he was succeeded by Anwar Sadat. A peace initiative led by both Sadat and UN intermediary Gunnar Jarring was tabled in 1971 and it resembled a proposal independently made by Moshe Dayan

8.
Avraham Adan
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Avraham Bren Adan was an Israeli Major General former Head of Southern Command who served in the military between 1947 and 1973. Adan was born in Kfar Gileadi, British Mandate Palestine, in 1926 as Avraham Eidelson and he joined the Palmach in 1943. It was he who raised the Ink Flag claiming the territory for Israel, the iconic image has been compared to Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Adan joined the Armored Corps in 1949 and founded the first Sherman tank unit in the IDF, during the 1956 Suez War, Lieutenant Colonel Adan commanded the 82nd battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade in the Sinai, defeating several Egyptian forces in the region. After the war he became the officer of the corps, then the commander of the 7th Brigade. During the June 1967 Six-Day War, Adan was the deputy commander of the Armored Corps and of the 31st Armored Division, on 10 March 1969, he became the commander of the Armored Corps. Major General Adan was defending the northern portion of the Israeli defense along the Suez Canal when the October 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out. As the commander of the 162nd Division, his division suffered losses from 6 to 8 October, in repeated attempts to stop the Egyptian attack. Later on during the war he led his unit across the canal into Egyptian territory just north of the Great Bitter Lake and he then maneuvered his unit southward to Suez City, where his unit surrounded the Egyptian Third Army. From 1974 to 1977 he served as the Armed Forces Attaché at the Israeli embassy in Washington, Adan was among the founders of Kibbutzim Nirim and Gevulot. On Both Banks of the Suez, IDF in its Corps, Army and Security Encyclopedia

9.
Hezbollah
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Hezbollah —also transliterated Hizbullah, Hizballah, etc. —is a Shia Islamist militant group and political party based in Lebanon. Hezbollahs paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its wing is Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament. After the death of Abbas al-Musawi in 1992, the group has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass the Israeli occupation. Hezbollah waged a campaign in South Lebanon and as a result, Israel withdrew from Lebanon on May 24,2000. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah fighters fought against Serbian forces during the Bosnian War, Hezbollahs military strength has grown so significantly that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah is part of the March 8 Alliance within Lebanon, in opposition to the March 14 Alliance, Hezbollah maintains strong support among Lebanons Shia population, while Sunnis have disagreed with the groups agenda. Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, Hezbollah and Israel fought each other in the 2006 Lebanon War. It has deployed its militia in both Syria and Iraq to fight or train local forces to fight against ISIS, Hezbollahs status as a legitimate political party, a terrorist group, a resistance movement, or some combination thereof is a contentious issue. The Arab League, United States, France, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the European Union, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have proscribed Hezbollahs military wing as a terrorist organization, while making a distinction with Hezbollahs political wing. Russia considers Hezbollah a legitimate sociopolitical organization, the Peoples Republic of China remains neutral, and maintains contacts with Hezbollah. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israel occupied a strip of south Lebanon, which was controlled by the South Lebanon Army, Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass the Israeli occupation. Scholars differ as to when Hezbollah came to be a distinct entity, another version states that it was formed by supporters of Sheikh Ragheb Harb, a leader of the southern Shia resistance killed by Israel in 1984. These designations are considered to be synonymous with Hezbollah by the US, Israel, Hezbollah emerged in South Lebanon during a consolidation of Shia militias as a rival to the older Amal Movement. Hezbollah played a significant role in the Lebanese civil war, opposing American forces in 1982–83 and opposing Amal, however, Hezbollahs early primary focus was ending Israels occupation of southern Lebanon following Israels 1982 invasion and siege of Beirut. Amal, the main Lebanese Shia political group, initiated guerrilla warfare, in 2006, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak stated, When we entered Lebanon … there was no Hezbollah. We were accepted with perfumed rice and flowers by the Shia in the south and it was our presence there that created Hezbollah. Hezbollah waged a war using suicide attacks against the Israel Defense Forces. Hezbollah also employed more conventional military tactics and weaponry, notably Katyusha rockets, in the 1990s, Hezbollah transformed from a revolutionary group into a political one, in a process which is described as the Lebanonisation of Hezbollah

10.
Lebanon
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent, the earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms, a culture that flourished for over a thousand years. In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, in the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion, however, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church, the ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era. The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, following the collapse of the empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon. The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, which was populated by Maronites and Druze. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing confessionalism, a unique, foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946. Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973, despite its small size, the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce. At the end of the war, there were efforts to revive the economy. In spite of troubles, Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world. The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root lbn meaning white, occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla, and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The name is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as Rmnn, where R stood for Canaanite L, the name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, as לְבָנוֹן. The borders of contemporary Lebanon are a product of the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920 and its territory was the core of the Bronze Age Phoenician city-states. After the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant, it was part of the Rashidun, Umyayad, Abbasid Seljuk, with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Greater Lebanon fell under French mandate in 1920, and gained independence under president Bechara El Khoury in 1943

11.
Bint Jbeil
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Bint Jbeil is the second largest town in the Nabatiye Governorate in Southern Lebanon. The town has an population of 30,000. Its exact population is unknown, because Lebanon has not conducted a census since 1932. The area around Bint Jbeil has been inhabited for millennia, archaeologists have suggested that the ancient fortified city of En-hazor. According to some historians, the name of the town is derived from a Yemeni name, Bint Jbeil literally means daughter of Byblos. According to E. H. Palmer, the name means The daughter of the mother of the little mountain. In 1596, it was named as a village, ‘’Bint Jubayl’’ in the Ottoman nahiya of Tibnin under the liwa of Safad, with a population of 238 households and 60 bachelors, all Muslim. In 1838 Edward Robinson noted it as a large Shia village, while in 1875, in 1881, the Palestine Exploration Funds Survey of Western Palestine described it, A very large Metawileh village, containing about 1,100 to 1,500 Metawileh. A market is held here every Thursday, the village is well built, and has a mosque. The situation is surrounded by hills, though the village is on high ground. The cultivation around is grapes, olives, and arable land, water is supplied from a spring and many cisterns and large birket. The town is inhabited by Shia Muslims, though the surrounding area also has a significant Christian minority. It was the scene of attacks on Israeli occupation forces. Hezbollah took control of the following the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon. As the largest town in the area, Bint Jbeil is sometimes known as the Capital of the Liberated South and it is considered one of the centers with symbolic history for Hezbollah. Under Lebanons complicated system of electoral representation, the Bint Jbeil electoral district is allocated 3 Shiite seats in the countrys parliament. Hezbollah did well in the area in the 2005 elections in Lebanon, Bint Jbeil was again contested by Israeli and Hezbollah forces in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, during which it suffered heavy damage. On July 15, Israeli missile killed 4 civilians, aged between 60 and 85, reconstruction as of early 2007 had been going very slowly, leading to reports of dissatisfaction among the residents

12.
Givati Brigade
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The Givati Brigade is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets, the Brigades symbol is the fox, alluding to Shualei Shimshon, a unit in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. At the start of the 1948 Palestine war, the brigade was charged with operations in the region of Israel, participating in operations Hametz, Barak. As the war entered its second stage, Givati became the 5th Brigade, was moved to the south, one battalion fought on the Jerusalem front, participating in Operation Nachshon and the Battles of Latrun. When Israel declared independence, Givati consisted of 5 battalions, with commanders such as Jehuda Wallach, Yaakov Pri, Yitzhak Pundak, Tzvi Tzur. A sixth battalion was founded on May 30,1948 from Irgun veterans, the brigade or parts thereof subsequently participated in the Battle of Nitzanim, Operation An-Far, Operation Yoav, etc. It was converted into a brigade in 1956 and its 51st HaBokim HaRishonim infantry battalion transferred to the Golani Brigade. Givati was reestablished as a infantry brigade and then proceeded on to amphibious warfare in 1983. In 1986 the brigades purple beret was officially approved, since 1999 it serves under Israels Southern Command. The Givati Brigade served under the Southern Command and was deployed in the Gaza Strip, the brigade was awarded a medal of honor for its service in the Gaza Strip during the last two years of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, when under the command of Imad Fares. Under Fares command, Givati carried out thousands of operations in the Gaza Strip, the brigade continued its operations in the Gaza Strip under the command of Eyal Eisenberg and the new head of Southern Command, Dan Harel. Givatis Recon Battalion, the Dolev combat engineering platoon and the Bedouin scouts battalion, won a recommendation of honor, Givati forces, combined with a special combat engineering tunnels unit, and IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozers, managed to suppress most of Rafahs tunnels. On May 11 and May 12,2004, two armored personnel carriers of Givatis Dolev engineering battalion were destroyed by Palestinian militants, the two separate attacks, in Gaza Citys Zeitoun neighbourhood and the Philadelphi Route near Rafah and the Egyptian border, claimed the lives of 11 soldiers. Islamic Jihad militants captured some of the remains, causing outrage in Israel, following international pressure and further Israeli operations in Zeitoun, the bodies of soldiers were returned to Israel. In the Zeitoun incident, UNRWA ambulances were used as transport by healthy Palestinian fighters, UNRWA has described the May 11 incident as a hijacking. After two more soldiers were killed in Rafah, Israel launched Operation Rainbow and this involved Givati forces reinforced by Golani Brigade soldiers with IDF Achzarit HAPCs, a battalion of officers from the class-commanders school and several IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozers. The stated aim of Operation Rainbow was to destroy the infrastructure of Rafah, destroy smuggling tunnels. The brigades Shaked battalion, under the command of a Lt. Col. Ofer was rocked by scandals in the half of 2004 while stationed in the southern Gaza Strip

13.
401st Brigade (IDF)
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The 401st Iron Tracks Brigade is an Armored Brigade in the 162nd Division of the Israeli Defence Forces. Since August 2016 it is commanded by Colonel Ohad Nagma, established in 1966,401 Brigade is one of the youngest brigades of the IDF. It took its current form in 1985, the brigade was initially composed of the 46th and 195th Armored Battalions and the 52nd and 34th Infantry Battalions, which were eventually converted to armor. The 34th Battalion was eventually disbanded and re-established in 1988 as an anti-tank battalion, in 2002 it was returned to the brigade, and in 2005 was transferred to the Judea and Samaria Territorial Division. The brigade was formed by expanding and splitting the 14th Armored Brigade together with which they held the 160 kilometer long Suez Canal defensive line in Sinai, the brigade was the first to be equipped with American Patton M60 tanks. Along with the 188th Brigade on the Golan Heights the brigade suffered heavy losses in the days of the war. The 195th Battalion אדם Adam belonged to the brigade in the war, in 1981 195th Battalion was transferred to the 500th Armored Brigade, although a year later the brigade received the 9th Battalion. In the war the brigade took part as a part of the Eastern Corps through the Lebanon ridge, one of the brigades battalions took part in the Sultan Yaakub engagement, making it all the way to the Beirut-Damascus highway. The brigade alternated between varied infantry missions in the West Bank, mainly in the Jordan Valley, with missions in the Security Zone in south Lebanon. Since 2000 the brigade has been serving in the Israeli occupied territories, doing mostly infantry and police duty, in July 2006, when the 2006 Lebanon War broke, the 401st Brigade was among the first units to travel up north into battle. The brigade fought mostly in the Eastern zone, by the villages of Markabeh, Bint Jbeil, the 401st Brigade lost 12 of its soldiers in battle, dozens were injured. In 2009, the played a vital role in the Operation Cast Lead. The brigade entered the Gaza Strip through the Netzarim Corridor and kept up its advance until it had reached the coast, after the operation the brigade resumed training. IVm tanks of 401st Brigade killed between 120-130 Hamas militants during the ground fighting phase of Operation Protective Edge, according to the IDF

14.
Nahal Brigade
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The Nahal Infantry Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces main infantry brigades. It is formed mainly from regular draftees as well as from a core of soldiers from the Nahal group, part of the Nahal movement, which combines social volunteerism, agriculture and military service. Many Mahal foreign volunteers are known to serve in the Nahal Brigade. Nahal Brigade soldiers are distinguished by their green berets, which earned them the nickname sticklights. The brigade is composed of 4 active-duty battalions –50,931,932, and 934 – and the companies on its training base. It operates on a basis on the most volatile Israeli borders as well as in the West Bank territories. It has operated in all wars and large-scale operations since its inception, playing key roles during the First and Second Lebanon War. Nahal Infantry Brigade soldiers undertake around four months of basic training, basic training, consists primarily of physical conditioning, Krav Maga, rifle training and the qualifying obstacle course. Recruits begin their desert marches at this point in order to them for their beret march at the end of advanced training. These marches are performed fully kitted in order to them for battlefield marching. Rifle training aims to perfect recruits day and night shooting skills prior to advanced training, recruits will also undergo two-man team live firing exercises in the field. Weapon understanding and maintenance is also an important element of basic rifle training, recruits are taught army values and weapon safety and responsibility. Recruits are also introduced to field exercises in the desert. Camouflage, fortification construction, combat first aid, and stealth maneuvering will also be taught at this stage, advanced training, recruits undergo specialist combat training. This part of the training will take part out in the field. By this stage recruits are expected to cope with speed-marching in full kit. By the end of their training recruits will have been required to march over 400 kilometers through desert, recruits will also be expected to be fully proficient with their rifles, both maintenance and shooting. Training with helicopters will also be introduced at this stage, although this can vary from draft to draft, all recruits will learn how to conduct live-fire drills at a squad, platoon, and company level

15.
M109 howitzer
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The M109 is an American 155mm turreted self-propelled howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been upgraded a number of times, most recently to the M109A7, the M109 family is the most common western indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions. The M109 has a crew of six, the chief, the driver, the gunner. The gunner aims the cannon left or right, the assistant gunner aims the cannon up, the M109A6 Paladin needs only a crew of four, the commander, driver, gunner and an ammunition loader. The British Army replaced its M109s with the AS-90, several European armed forces have or are currently replacing older M109s with the German PzH2000. Upgrades to the M109 were introduced by the U. S. with the cancellation of the U. S. Crusader and Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, the M109A6 will remain the principal self-propelled howitzer for the U. S. for the foreseeable future. The M109 was the variant of a U. S. program to adopt a common chassis for its self-propelled artillery units. The light version, the M108 Howitzer, was phased out during the Vietnam War, the M109 saw its combat debut in Vietnam. Israel used the M109 against Egypt in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, iran used the M109 in the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s. The M109 saw service with the British, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian Armies in the 1991 Gulf War, the M109 also saw service with the U. S. Army in the Gulf War, as well as in the Iraq War from 2003-2011. The M109 was developed by the Ground System Division of United Defense LP, the HVP costs $25,000 per round and is capable of being fired out to 50 nautical miles from a conventional cannon. It weighs 68 lb with a 23 lb flight body containing its guidance and warhead, less powerful but more agile to hit small and it had a 23 caliber 155 mm M126 gun in an M127 Howitzer Mount, and carried 28 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. It was also armed with a. 50cal M2HB machine gun with 500 rounds of ammunition, easily identified by its short barrel and a double baffle muzzle brake with a large fume extractor just behind it. Maximum range of 14600 m, replaced the M126 gun with a longer barreled,39 caliber M185 gun, increasing maximum range to 18100 m. Incorporated 27 Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability mid-life improvements, stowage increased from 28 rounds of 155 mm, to 36 rounds. 50cal ammunition remained at 500 rounds. During M109A2 production, a simplified version was also produced for export. This had minor changes and deleted the hull flotation feature. M109A1s and M109A1Bs rebuilt to M109A2 standard respectively, some A3s feature three contact arm assemblies, while all A2s have five

16.
Israeli Navy
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The Israeli Navy is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Eli Sharvit, the Israeli Navy is believed to be responsible for maintaining Israels offshore nuclear second strike capability. The Academy trained cadets from all over Europe, Palestine and South Africa, in September 1937, the training ship Sarah I visited Haifa and Tel Aviv as part of a Mediterranean tour. In 1938, encouraged by the Jewish Agency, Dr. Shlomo Bardin founded the Marine High School in Bosmat,1943 witnessed the founding of the Palyam, the naval branch of the Palmach, whose training was undertaken at the maritime school. The Jewish merchant marine was also raised, operating the SS Tel-Aviv, in 1942, eleven hundred Haganah volunteers joined the Royal Navy, mostly in technical roles. A few reached sea service and combat service, two of them served with the Fleet Air Arm, one of whom was Edmond Wilhelm Brillant and the other Zvi Avidror. Royal Navy volunteers, meanwhile, rejoined the Haganah and these were to become the Navys first ships and saw service in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. At the outset of the 1948 war and with the founding of the IDF and these ships were refurbished by a newly formed naval repair facility with the assistance of two private shipbuilding and repair companies. In October 1948, a submarine chaser was purchased from the United States, Palyam members who had led the clandestine and immigration effort, but had no sea background in navigation or leading a ship into a battle. The captains of clandestine and immigration ships were Italian, while Palyam personnel were commanding the ship under instructions from the Haganah, ike Aharonowitch, captain of the Exodus and a Jew, was the exception rather than the rule. Merchant Marine captains and chief engineers, possessing navigation skills but lacking combat skills, Jewish volunteers from the U. S. Navy and Royal Navy, such as Commander Paul Shulman of the U. S. Navy, and Commanders Solomon and Allen Burk of the Royal Navy. These, however, were discriminated against and their experience wasted by a navy command that was based on the Palmach. This resulted in odd situations where unskilled officers from the Palyam were in command of far more experienced naval officers. During the war, the served on coastal patrol duties and bombarded Arab targets on land, including Egyptian coastal installations in. The Israeli Navy also engaged the Egyptian Navy at sea during Operation Yoav, and the Egyptian Navys flagship, to make matters worse, Palyam personnel often resisted efforts to instil order, discipline and rank in the newly formed service. Mess rooms were initially shared by both officers and enlisted men, ships possessed a captain with nautical skills, but also a commanding officer regarded as political. This would cause a great deal of debate between veterans of the Palyam, Royal Navy volunteers from the Haganah and U. S. Navy Machal volunteers about what form the Navy should take. Commander Allen Burk is reputed to have said, out of despair, RN Captain Ashe Lincoln, who was Jewish, advised PM Ben-Gurion to purchase corvettes, frigates, destroyers, torpedo-boats, and patrol boats to build up the Israeli Navy power

17.
Israeli Air Force
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The Israeli Air Force operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28,1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, as of May 2012 Aluf Amir Eshel serves as the Air Force Commander. The Israeli Air Force formed on May 28,1948, using commandeered or donated civilian aircraft and obsolete, eventually, more aircraft were procured, including Boeing B-17s, Bristol Beaufighters, de Havilland Mosquitoes and P-51D Mustangs. The Israeli Air Force played an important part in Operation Kadesh, on June 5,1967, the first day of the Six-Day War, the Israeli Air Force executed Operation Focus, crippling the opposing Arab air forces and attaining air supremacy for the remainder of the war. Shortly after the end of the Six-Day War, Egypt initiated the War of Attrition, on October 7,1973, the IAF conducted Operation Tagar against Egyptian air bases of the Egyptian Air Defence Force. Although initially successful, with 10 bases hit, the urgency of the fighting on the Golan heights forced the operations suspension, since that war most of Israels military aircraft have been obtained from the United States. Among these are the F-4 Phantom II, A-4 Skyhawk, F-15 Eagle, the Israeli Air Force has also operated a number of domestically produced types such as the IAI Nesher, and later, the more advanced IAI Kfir. On June 7,1981, eight IAF F-16A fighters covered by six F-15A jets carried out Operation Opera to destroy the Iraqi nuclear facilities at Osiraq, on June 9,1982, the Israeli Air Force carried out Operation Mole Cricket 19, crippling the Syrian air defence array. The IAF continued to mount attacks on Hezbollah and PLO positions in south Lebanon, on October 1,1985, In response to a PLO terrorist attack which murdered three Israeli civilians in Cyprus, the Israeli air force carried out Operation Wooden Leg. The strike involved the bombing of PLO Headquarters in Tunis, by F-15 Eagles, in 1991, the IAF carried out Operation Solomon which brought Ethiopian Jews to Israel. In 1993 and 1996, the IAF participated in Operation Accountability and Operation Grapes of Wrath and it took part in many missions since, including during the 2006 Lebanon War, Operation Cast Lead, Operation Pillar of Cloud and Operation Protective Edge. On September 6,2007, the Israeli Air Force successfully bombed an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor in Operation Orchard, squadron markings usually go on the tail fin. Forerunners of the Israeli Air Force were the Palestine Flying Service established by the Irgun in 1937, and Sherut Avir, the Israeli Air Force formed on May 28,1948, shortly after Israel declared statehood and found itself under attack. The force consisted of a hodge-podge of commandeered or donated civilian aircraft converted to military use, a variety of obsolete and surplus ex-World War II combat-aircraft were quickly sourced by various means to supplement this fleet. Creativity and resourcefulness were the foundations of early Israeli military success in the air, Israels new fighter-arm first went into action on May 29,1948, assisting efforts to halt the Egyptian advance from Gaza northwards. Four newly arrived Avia S-199s, flown by Lou Lenart, Modi Alon, Ezer Weizman and Eddie Cohen, although damage to the enemy was minimal, two aircraft were lost and Cohen killed, nevertheless the attack achieved its goal and stopped the Egyptians. After un-assembled planes were strafed on the ground on May 30th at Ekron airfield the fighters were moved to makeshift strip located around the current Herzliya Airport. The Israeli Air Force scored its first aerial victories on June 3 when Modi Alon, flying Avia D.112, the first dogfight against enemy fighters took place a few days later, on June 8, when Gideon Lichtaman shot down an Egyptian Spitfire

18.
GOC Army Headquarters
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The Israeli GOC Army headquarters, known unofficially as Mazi, is a multi-corps command headquarters created in 1998, which amalgamates the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces. The current size of the Israeli Ground Forces is estimated at roughly 133,000 active soldiers and 380,000 soldiers in reserve, after this renaming, the acronym MAZI officially refers nowadays to Commander of the Ground Arm. However the old acronym MAZI still remains the name for the GOC Army Headquarters. Until the creation of MAZI, IDF ground forces were subordinated to the Chief of Staff through the Regional Commands. The proposed reform for the Ground Arm was rejected and the forces remain subordinated to the three regional commands. Likewise with combat support and rear-line corps, which are subordinated to the respective Directorates. In times of war, the Ground Arm Commander acts as an advisor to the IDF Chief of Staff on ground warfare. As an IDF arm, the Ground Arm is meant to build of the forces strength and working toward balance, combination. It does so by instruction and training of units, planning and publishing the relevant doctrine, organizing the forces respectively for their missions. Its authority ranges up to the corps level, above it, meaning the regional commands themselves, the authority is of the IDF Joint Staff. Due to the training and equipment among army reservists, large numbers will be dismissed. Ground Arm website Army Headquarters LIC2005, a conference on Warfare in Low Intensity Conflict

19.
Central Command (Israel)
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The Israeli Central Command, often abbreviated to Pakmaz, is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the units and brigades located in the West Bank, Jerusalem, the Sharon, Gush Dan, the commander of the central command is the one who is authorized to declare new cities in the Judea and Samaria Area. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Central Command was in-charge of the war efforts against Jordan, particularly on the road to Jerusalem, occupying the Small Triangle, Lod, during the Six-Day War, the Command led the occupation of the West Bank from Jordan. As of the First Intifada, the Command primarily engages in security and counter-terrorism activities, as well as more conventional military measures, in the West Bank

20.
Home Front Command
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Until the establishment of the Command, responsibility for the Home Front fell under the Civilian Defense’s Chief Officer Corps Command and under Regional Defense. During that time, the three regional commands had their own home front commands, after the first Persian Gulf War, these organizations were unified and the Home Front Command was created. This unit should not be confused with Unit 669 and it is currently headed by Aluf Eyal Eisenberg. Home Front Command Official Website Home Front Command Official Website

21.
Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)
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The Directorate of Military Intelligence, often abbreviated to Aman, is the central, overarching military intelligence body of the Israel Defense Forces. Aman was created in 1950, when the Intelligence Department was spun off from the IDFs General Staff, Aman is an independent service, and not part of the ground forces, Navy or the Air Force. It is one of the entities of the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Mossad. It is currently headed by Major General Herzi Halevi and it includes the special forces unit Sayeret Matkal, and the elite training course Havatzalot Program. The IDFs Intelligence Corps, abbreviated as Haman and headed by a general, has been detached from Aman since the Yom Kippur War. In April 2000, the newest IDF corps was founded, the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps and it was designed to fulfill some of Amans former combat intelligence functions, and is also headed by a Brigadier General. Although it falls under the jurisdiction of the GOC Army Headquarters it also falls under Amans professional jurisdiction. Field security at the level of the General Staff, and the training, direction and operation of the Collection Agencies. Drawing maps, providing the direction and supervision for the dissemination of maps, the development of special measures for intelligence work. The development of doctrine in the realms of research, collection. Staff responsibility for military attachés overseas, Yadlin, who had been serving as the IDFs military attaché in Washington, D. C. was a combat pilot, former head of the air forces Air Intelligence Directorate, and Halutzs deputy. Yadlin was appointed as Aman Director on January 5,2006, in November 2010 Yadlin was replaced by Major General Aviv Kochavi. org on Aman Israeli Intelligence in the 1967 War, By Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Education Dept. Israeli Intelligence and the Yom Kippur War of 1973, By Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, the Yom Kippur War, the IDF version, by Amir Oren, for Haaretz Intelligence service under scrutiny, by Dan Baron, for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency

22.
Technological and Logistics Directorate
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During an emergency, the directorate is also responsible for the deployment of most non-combat reserve units. As of 2012, it is headed by Aluf Kobi Barak, the directorate was created in February 1948 as the Quartermasters Directorate and renamed to Supply Directorate in 1972. In 1997 it was renamed to Technological and Logistics Directory, and in 2006 to Logistics, Medical, in 2008 the name was changed back to its current name

23.
Computer Service Directorate
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The Israeli J6/C4i Directorate is the Israel Defense Forces body which charts the communication, wireless transmission, computerization, command and control over and defense of information in the IDF. The Directorate was created on March 3,2003, on the basis of some previously held by the C4I Corps. The directorate is headed by Aluf Nadav Padan, the J6/C4i Directorate comprises three main brigade-level units, the C4I Corps, the Operating Brigade, which deals with operational communications and electronic warfare, and Lotem. Lotem lists the units, Mamram – Center of Computers and Information Systems – responsible for managing military software. Hoshen – responsible for operating the armys communication systems, matzov – Center of Encryption and Information Safety – responsible for the protection of digital military data. Maof – Systems and Projects – responsible for planning and engineering telecommunication systems, matzpen – Military Systems for Command and Control and management of logistics and human resources. The armys biggest software house that consists of the unification of Leshem, Aluf Yitzhak Harel Aluf Udi Shani Aluf Ami Shafran Aluf Uzi Moscovitch Aluf Nadav Padan

24.
Women's Affairs advisor
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The position is currently being held by Brigadier-General Rachel Tevet-Weisel. The Womans Affairs advisor dates back to the Womens Corps that existed from 1949 to 2001, the corps was responsible for women soldiers, including, their absorption, recruit training, and transfers to IDF units. During their service, the WC provided them with services through WC units attached to units in other corps. It also operated a womens unit, which taught new immigrants. In 2001, the Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, announced the dismantling of the corps and its command was replaced with a new Womens Affairs advisor to the Chief of Staff position. The corps last commander was Brigadier General Suzy Yogev

25.
Military Advocate General
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It supervises, by exercising the designated operative instruments and authority, over the rule of law in the IDF. The principal activities of the Military Advocate General are, Maintaining prosecution, providing military authorities with legal advice on military law and the law in general. Maintaining the military system in areas falling under the jurisdiction of the IDF. Supervision over the rules of conduct in the IDF, supervision over the investigatory arms in the IDF, and over the military detention centres. Representing the IDF before public and institutional bodies, teaching law and jurisprudence in the IDF and its values among soldiers and commanders. The Military Advocate General consists of the bodies, Head of the service. A member of the General Staff, but not professionally subordinate to the Chief of Staff, coordinates and directs the CMAG Command, serves as acting CMAG during the Chiefs absence. Headed by the Chief Military Prosecutor, it is responsible for criminal prosecution, the Chief Military Prosecutor has exclusive authority to submit appeals to the Military Court of Appeals over rulings rendered by the District Military Tribunals. Composed of three departments, The Administrative Justice Dept. oversees administrative conduct and provides advice on areas related to administrative law. The Supervisory Dept. attends to criticisms of MAG bodies, and this branch, headed by the CMAG Assistant for International Law, advises the service on areas related to international law. This branch is responsible for legal counsultation and legislation pertaining to the military in areas unrelated to international law, in that role, the division has a difficult task in balancing security interests with humanitarian concerns and plays an active role in settling disputes between Israelis and Palestinians. The division provides legal advice on aspects of security measures, planning and zoning, land registration, economic activity, municipal governance. Lastly, the plays a central role in planning the route, determining passage arrangements, petitions to the High Court of Justice. The school is responsible for teaching law and jurisprudence, and for the training, following is a list of the Chief Military Advocate Generals of Israel. Before the position was created, the head of the IDFs justice division—called the military prosecution—was Avraham Gorali

26.
Infantry Corps (Israel)
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The Israeli Infantry Corps is a corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. It is a corps which primarily relies on infantry troops. It includes several regular and reserve units and brigades which are operatively commanded by the IDF’s regional commands. The corps moves to the battlefield either on foot, on jeeps, since the corps is based on soldiers who fight on foot, most of the weapons employed are personal or crew-served weapons. The personal weapon of most IDF soldiers is the MTAR-21, the majority of regular-service Infantry Corps soldiers are equipped with the MTAR-21 assault rifle. In 2005, the IMI Tavor Commando assault rifle was brought to operational use, every soldier in operational service is also equipped with various hand grenades. The company and platoon weapons are diverse, and include the IMI Negev, heavier weapons include the Browning M2 and the General Dynamics Mk 19 grenade launcher. Various units also use snipers who rely on the M16A2E3, the Remington M24 Sniper Weapon System, the Barrett M82A1, to engage armored targets, the corps uses a variety of grenades, rockets, and missiles. The corps units are equipped with Anti-tank RPGs such as the RPG-7, the M72 LAW, recently, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems MATADOR anti-structures rocket was entered to service, used successfully in Operation Cast Lead. These are relatively cheap and easy to operate weapons, and are in high availability to target vehicles or buildings, since modern campaign tanks are heavily armoured, the designated weapon against them are Anti-tank guided missiles, which are more expensive and difficult to operate than RPGs. The corps primarily uses Tow and the Spike missiles, the corps uses a variety of vehicles for transport, scouting, troop mobility, security, and command and control. The light scout and mobile vehicles are Sufa jeeps and Humvees, the former are reasonably defended but not heavily armoured as they are expected to provide utmost speed and navigability. The Humvee, on the hand, exists in a variety of forms, some relatively heavily defended. It is equipped with either a gun, rocket, anti tank missiles, communications equipment. For transporting troops through areas, the Safari is a converted bus equipped with heavy armor. Under heavy fire, troops are primarily transported by APCs, often, because of the armor offered by the APC, much of the fighting takes place with these, which are equipped with machine guns, mortars, rockets, or anti tank missiles. The IDFs principal APC is the M113, primarily those purchased from the United States during the 1970s, despite upgrades and improvements, it is considered an old and vulnerable APC. Recently, the Namer APC, a heavy APC/IFV based on a Merkava tank, was entered into service

27.
Artillery Corps (Israel)
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The Israeli Artillery Corps is the Israel Defense Forces corps responsible for operating medium and long-range artillery. The current commander of the Artillery Corps is Brigadier General Roy Riftin and he replaced Brig. Gen. David Swissa. The corps is tasked with two missions, Assisting IDF maneuvering forces, at the place, time and with the firepower required. Paralyzing and destroying enemy targets throughout the IDF zone of operations, the Artillery Corps is an integral corps of GOC Army Headquarters. It is a corps, with its lion share consisting of high-trajectory barrel artillery. The corps consist of three support regiments, The Pillar of Fire formation, composed of the regular-service battalions Drakon. The Golan formation, composed of the regular Namer and Keren battalions, the Kela David formation, composed of the Meitar unit, a special operations unit. The corps also operates the Field Artillery School and a training center, the corps importance to the IDF is growing due to the rapid evolvion of modern technology. The corps is amongst the most advanceded components of the IDF, using advanced technology to improve its precision, during the Second Lebanon War the Israeli Artillery Corps was second only to the Israeli Air Force in the firepower it expended. Artillery Corps soldiers wear Turquoise berets and black army boots, the primary equipment used in most regular and reserve batteries is the M109 Doher self-propelled howitzer. To assist with ammunition carriage and transport, regular use the M548. In addition, batteries also use Humvees and M113 carriers, on order are the IMI Lynx and IAI JUMPER multiple rocket launchers to bolster its strike capability against enemy positions and rocket-launching cells. In addition, the corps also possesses radar and navigation system, in 1977, the IDF began developing another self-propelled howitzer, the Sholef, based on the M109 with a Merkava chassis. The main advantage of the Sholef was its ability, which reduced the number of crewmen from 7 to 4. The project was completed but the IDF decided not to mass-produce the Sholef because of its high cost and its main focus switched to improving the precision systems of the Doher. The Sholef was used only once, in 1990. In 2010, Israel began an overhaul of the Artillery Corps and its operational role now reflects a new concept in which artillery is seen as an equal part of the combat force rather than a support element. The Israeli Artillery Corps holds its training, commanders course and officers school at the Field Artillery School, better known as Shivta

28.
Israeli Combat Engineering Corps
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The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces. The Combat Engineering Corps berets color is silver and its features a sword on a defensive tower with a blast halo on the background. The Combat Engineering Corps mottos are Always First and the unofficial The hard - we shall do today, in addition to Combat Engineering Corps sappers, each infantry brigade has an engineering company trained with basic engineering and EOD skills. Combat Engineering Corps sappers and heavy equipment operators are often attached to units in order to help them breach through obstacles. Beside extensive training in combat engineering, combat engineers through specialized training in their respective professions. These are, Sapper, trained all the basic engineering skills. Their main role is to breach through obstacles, breach through minefields. They are trained to supply close combat support for both armored fighting vehicles and infantry, some of them are trained in driving the Combat Engineering Corps standard CEV, the IDF Puma. They professional ranks after advance training are Rifleman 07 and Sapper 06, EVO units are called צמה in Hebrew, acronym of Tziyud Mechanic Handasi. They professional ranks are Rifleman 05 and EVO Operator 07, bulldozer Operators, belong to the EVO, these soldiers are operating the IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers, including under heavy fire. Their roles are versatile and differ according to the units whom they are attached, the D9 operators perform construction, destruction, breaching and EOD missions while assisting to tanks, infantry and even special forces during battle. NBC Disposal, called purifiers, they are expert in handling nuclear, EOD experts, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal are experts in detonating explosives without damage and bomb disposal. Among their equipment you can find the Barrett M82A1 and remote-control EOD robots with shotguns, the EOD are the military equivalent of the polices bomb squad. In the IDF, they are a part of the elite Engineering unit Yahalom, demolition experts, they are specially trained in blowing up things in the most accurate and effective way. They explode things ranging from cellular phones and doorlocks up to tanks, in the IDF, the demolition experts are united in Sayeret Yael of Yahalom and therefore gain high infantry training as well. Fortification experts, assigned on designing and overseeing the construction of bases, outposts, bridges, construction itself is usually done by the EVOs. Counter-Tunnels experts, established in 2003 by the late Captain Aviv Hakani, these Combat Engineering Corps soldiers are expert in finding smuggling tunnels and weapon caches and they operated in Rafah during the al-Aqsa Intifada and received recommendation of honor for their activity. After 2004 APC incident the Rafah tunnel team was united with the Combat Engineering Corps elite unit Yahalom and was renamed Sayeret Samur and their issued rifle is the M-16A1 and M4 Carbine

29.
Combat Intelligence Collection Corps
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The Israeli Combat Intelligence Collection Corps is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters five corps, created in April 2000 and tasked with collecting combat intelligence. It is responsible for units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Due to the need for collecting intelligence and in maintaining observation networks. The corps consists of the units, The Shahaf 869 Battalion. The unit was designated to provide intelligence in real time and sighting enemy targets and it was appended to the Artillery Corps and its soldiers wore black berets, even though they were under the direct command of the General Staff. During the 1982–2000 South Lebanon Conflict, it operated as an elite outfit tasked with collecting combat intelligence, the unit was created as a corps in April 2000, under Amnon Sufrin. The name was changed in November 2009, additionally, the corps beret color was changed from dark green to yellow. The Chief Combat Intelligence Officer is a Brigadier General appointed by the head of the GOC Army Headquarters, as of 2009, the Chief Combat Intelligence Officer is Eli Pollack. Combat Intelligence Collection Corps at the GOC Army Headquarters website

30.
Paratroopers Brigade
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The Paratroopers Brigade, also known as the 35th Brigade, is an elite unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces, and forms a major part of the Infantry Corps. It has a history of carrying out special forces-style missions dating back to the 1950s, paratrooper Brigade soldiers wear maroon berets with the infantry pin and reddish-brown boots. Distinct from all other soldiers of the IDF, Paratroopers wear a tunic and these are most likely the most highly trained reservist brigades in the IDF. The brigade was created in the mid-1950s when the commando Unit 101 was merged with the 890th Battalion in order to form an infantry brigade. The new unit was equipped with the IMI Uzi submachine gun as their primary weapon as it provided light and small fire, essential properties for recon units. The goals in creating the Paratroopers Brigade were, To have a leading force. To innovate and improve fighting skills within other units, to raise the next generation of military commanders and officers. The first commander of the Paratroopers Brigade was Ariel Sharon, the Paratroopers Brigade has had only one operational combat parachute drop, during the 1956 Sinai War. In the Six Day War the brigade took part in the capture of Jerusalem, along with the Jerusalem Brigade, Harel Brigade, in January 1970, during the War of Attrition, the brigade spearheaded Operation Rhodes, taking over the Egyptian island of Shadwan. Three Israeli soldiers were killed in the raid saw the paratroopers remain on the island for 36 hours before departing with 62 Egyptian POWs. Over the years, the Paratroopers Brigade has been the source of several future Israeli Chiefs of Staff, including Shaul Mofaz, Moshe Yaalon, each year the brigade receives five times more applicants than it can accept. More than a quarter of recruits drop out, after they complete the march, they are officially inducted into the Paratroopers Brigade. The war began with a drop of a paratroop battalion over the eastern approaches to the Mitla Pass. The remaining members of the force were to travel along a 300 km route. This break-through took 28 hours, during which the column swept through the deserted Kuntilla, the major paratroop action during the campaign was the battle for Mitla Pass. A paratroop reconnaissance patrol entering the pass found itself trapped by an enemy force. The Egyptians enjoyed topographical advantage, fighting positions and niches in superior terrain. Outnumbered reinforcements who entered the fray fought desperately to rescue their comrades, after nightfall, the Egyptians were finally routed, but at the cost of 38 paratroopers dead and over 100 more wounded

31.
Golani Brigade
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The Golani Brigade is an Israeli regular service infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five regular infantry brigades of the Israel Defense Forces. Its symbol is an olive tree against a yellow background. It is one of the most highly decorated units in the IDF. The brigade consists of five battalions, including two which it kept from its inception, one transferred from the Givati Brigade, and two special forces battalions. The brigade was formed on February 22,1948 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, when the Levanoni Brigade in the Galilee split into the 1st Golani Brigade and the 2nd Carmeli Brigade. As the end of the British Mandate of Palestine was fast approaching, on February 28,1948, the Levanoni Brigade was split into two—Carmeli in the northwest, and Golani in the northeast. Golanis area of operations included much of the Lower Galilee and Jezreel Valley, the Jordan Valley and it extended to al-Jalama and Bat Shlomo in the west. Major population centers included Safed, Tiberias, Beit Shean and Nazareth, the 12th Battalion captured al-Shajara on May 6,1948 and the 13th captured Beit Shean on May 12. After these operations, responsibility over the part of the brigades sector, was handed over to the Oded Brigade. In December 1948, the 14th and 15th battalions were merged into the Mechanized Attack Battalion, the first Golani action following the Arab intervention in the 1948 war was the defense of the kibbutzim Degania Alef and Bet from the Syrian Army in the Battles of the Kinarot Valley. Units from the Barak Battalion, with Yiftach and Guard Corps reinforcements, the brigade was also successful at repelling Iraqi forces at the Battle of Gesher to the south. The attack eventually succeeded, but Jenin was retaken by the Iraqi Army shortly after, in December 1948, the brigade was largely transferred to the south in preparation for Operation Horev. Golani fought the Egyptians in the Gaza Strip, in Operation Assaf, in March 1949, the brigade was tasked with capturing Umm Rashrash with the 7th Armored Brigade. Golani advanced through the Arabah region in the east and arrived at the two hours after the 7th. This was the last operation of the war, after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Golani Brigade participated in a number of reprisal raids in the first part of the 1950s. In 1951, a Syrian patrol entered the zone near Tel Mutilla. Golani reinforced a reserve battalion and entered a battle lasted five days

32.
Kfir Brigade
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The Kfir Brigade, also known as 900 Brigade, is the youngest infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to the 340th Idan Armoured Division of Israels Central Regional Command, in the 1990s the IDF formed the Designated Infantry Battalions as auxiliary troops accompanying its armored forces. On December 6,2005, these were unified into a single regular-service brigade commanded by Colonel Eyal Nosovski, before Israels 2005 disengagement from Gaza, Kfir units were also stationed in the Gaza Strip. Members of this unit wear a camouflaged beret, Kfir recruits must complete 10 months of combat training in order to be received into active service. The first four months of training are dedicated to training in which the soldiers learn discipline and are introduced to physical fitness. Those who dont pass the selection process continue to serve in Kfir Brigade

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7th Armored Brigade (Israel)
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The 7th Armored Brigade is a military formation of the Israeli Defense Force. Formed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and in ever since. The brigade took part in all of Israels wars, during the Battles of Latrun in 1948, the 3rd Alexandroni and 7th Brigades together suffered 139 casualties. It fought in the Six-Day War under the command of Colonel Shmuel Gonen, during the 1948 War, the 7th Brigade primarily consisted of Sherman tanks and mounted infantry. Early on, the 7th also contained an artillery element, during the 1960s, the brigade was equipped with British Centurion tanks modified in Israel. These were gradually superseded in the late 1970s by the Israeli-made Merkavas, the 7th Brigade once belonged to Israels Southern Command. The 7th was based in the Golan Heights as part of the 36th Armored Division from the end of the Yom Kippur War until February 2014, in 1948, the brigades reputation was as one of the crueler combat forces of the period. Israeli historian Ilan Pappé writes, In many of the Palestinian oral histories that have now come to the fore and he sized up two approaching Egyptian battlegroups equipped with half-tracks, Sherman tanks and other vehicles. Dunkelman attacked both of them by surprise at night, when the crews were out of their vehicles, the Egyptian soldiers fled, allowing the 7th Brigade to appropriate their

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188th Armored Brigade
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The 188th Barak Armored Brigade is an Israeli armored brigade, subordinate to Israels Northern Regional Command. The emblem of the Barak Armored Brigade is a red-bordered rhombus bearing a sword against a blue, the brigade has a long history beginning before the foundation of the State of Israel. In the mid-1990s the brigade was the first to adopt the Merkava mark-III main battle tank, the brigade was formed as the 2nd Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, when it was split off from the Levanoni Brigade. Named the Carmeli Brigade because it was led by Moshe Carmel and it played an important part in Operation Hiram. After the IDF was formed, the Carmeli Brigade became its 18th Brigade, during the Sinai Campaign of 1956, the brigade was stationed along the Jordanian border, in case the Jordanians decided to open a second front, and was thus not involved in combat. It was shortly later assigned armored units to become the 45th Armored Brigade and it consisted of one tank battalion, two armored infantry battalions, a mortar battalion and reconnaissance units. The changeover was completed in 1962, during the Yom Kippur War, it played an important role defending Israels border against the Syrian attack in the southern Golan Heights. 112 soldiers were killed in action, including the brigade commander, the brigade was almost completely destroyed. The main Syrian attack at 14, 30-14,50 PM, confronted by the newly positioned 74th Tank Battalion, Nafshi moved his battalion position 1.5 km forward from its previous defensive position, a maneuver that saved his men and machines from the Syrian artillery barrage. His was the remaining tank force, equipped with 36 Israeli modified Centurion tanks to fight the Syrians for 3 continuous days, until reinforcements. His battalion was reinforced with a company from the 53rd battalion. After 4 days of fighting, his battalion was reduced to 5 operational tanks, more than 102 soldiers and officers died defending the southern Golan Line, from reinforced points 107 to 114. For his gallant, professional, and courageous behavior during the war, Yair Nafshi received Israels second highest decoration and he retired from the army with the rank of Brigadier General. During the battle, Lieutenant Zvika Greengold, who had arrived unattached to any unit and he was wounded and burned but stayed in action and repeatedly showed up at critical moments from an unexpected direction to change the course of a skirmish. After the war, the task of rebuilding the brigade was assigned to Yonatan Netanyahu, in the 1982 Lebanon War, it fought in Beirut and participated in the capture of the local airport

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Ordnance Corps (Israel)
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The Israeli Ordnance Corps is a combat-support corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. Before the Israeli Technological and Logistics Directorate was dismantled, it fell under its jurisdiction, the corps is responsible for the development and maintenance of war materiel, combat-support materials, and other systems. In 1941, the Haganahs Ordnance Department was founded and it engaged in the purchasing, concealment, and transport of materiel, in cooperation with Israel Military Industries. It was headed by Asher Oshraka Peled, who served in the British army. The Ordnance Department sold concealed weapons to the Yishuv, in accordance with the budget of each village, the British wrote that There is a weapon to arm every combatant. The first ordnance course took place in Juara in 1942, in January 1948, the Ordnance Department was renamed into the Ordnance Service. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the services first Basic Workshops were established to help restore, in 1951, the Engineering Corps was renamed into the Ordnance Corps. During the Suez War, the rescued, collected and restored materiel. After the war, the first Ordnance Battalion was created, in the War of Attrition, the corps engaged in many rescue attempts. During the Yom Kippur War, the corps was able to restore, the corps training base is located in Tzrifin. The Center for Combat Spare Parts administers the supply of parts to the IDF in ten bases. The Unit for Quality Assurance and Experiments conducts quality control and other experiments in two principal experiment bases and several smaller, temporary bases. The Central Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 650 provides ordnance to the Central Command, the Northern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 651 provides ordnance to the Northern Command. The Southern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 653 provides ordnance to the Southern Command, below is a list of all Chief Ordnance Officers, Roy, Natan, Klein, Zeev. IDF in its Corps, Army and Security Encyclopedia

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Medical Corps (Israel)
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The Israeli Medical Corps is an Israel Defense Forces corps responsible for providing healthcare services and medical treatment and instruction to all levels of the IDF. During wars or emergencies, it also assumes authority over the healthcare system in Israel. The corps attends to the planning, organization, and supervision over the preparedness of the system to face crises. As of 2011, the corps is headed by Brigadier General Dr. Itzik Kryce and its headquarters are located in Tel HaShomer

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C4I Corps
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The C4I Corps, or Teleprocessing Corps, is a combat support corps of the Israel Defense Forces under the command of the Teleprocessing Branch, formerly the Computer Service Directorate. The C4I Corps is responsible for all areas of teleprocessing and communications in the IDF, the corps commander is known as the Chief Teleprocessing Officer and is an officer with the rank of Tat Aluf, equivalent to a Brigadier General in the United States Army. The current commander of the Corps, is Nati Cohen, the Haganah Communications Service was established in 1937 and in the same year the first Morse Code radio operators’ course was held. At that time in the British Mandate, they operated 12 underground broadcasting stations, in 1938 they brought 150 carrier pigeons to the country. In 1939 the first broadcast station run by the Etzel, also known as the Irgun, was activated. The first communications officer course was held in 1947, and in the time of the Jerusalem blockade, after the establishment of the State of Israel and the IDF, the Communications Corps was established on October 14,1948. In 2007 it was decided to return the C4I Corps to the Computer Service Directorate and over the course of the year 2008 the decision was implemented

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Education and Youth Corps
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The Israeli Education and Youth Corps is the IDF Manpower Directorate corps responsible for the education of soldiers and commanders in Israels military. It is designed to instruct and develop national values among the troops, according to former Chief Education Officer Avner Shalev, the aims of the education system in the IDF are to increase the motivation and morale of the troops and units. These are termed adaptation problems in the IDF, and those with a rating of 40-60 are considered Makam youth, the Makam base is called Havat HaShomer and located in the north of the country, and trains those Makam youth with the most serious problems. Teacher soldiers, a program to train soldiers to become teachers in the civilian sector, Gadna, short paramilitary training programs for high school youth. The Gadna program has 3 such training bases - Tzalmon in the north, Juara in the center, mihve Alon, a training base for new immigrants not proficient in the Hebrew language, is also subordinate to the Magen division. The education division serves as the guide for the other units of the corps. Many of the soldiers in various roles in the Education Corps get their training in the Youth Education Training Base and this is a result of the lending agreement with the Education Minister of Israel. The emblem of the Education and Youth Corps is composed of four stripes integrating into one flame, three of them represent the three different centers of the corps and the fourth represents the headquarters of the corps

Israeli officers of the Paratrooper Battalion 890 in 1955 with Moshe Dayan (standing, third from the left). Ariel Sharon is standing, second from the left and commando Meir Har Zion is standing furthest left.